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A review by carolinethereader
Frankie by Shivaun Plozza
2.0
I considered giving up on this book because I found it very disappointing but it was still nice and quick to read so wooh.
Frankie is an Aussie YA about a young, angry girl who (while suspended from school for hitting someone) finds out she has a half brother. Her brother goes missing pretty early in the story and it becomes a book about a girl searching for her new little brother at a time when she really should be searching for herself.
There were elements of this book that I enjoyed. I liked that it was Australian and that I could recognise Australian elements without them being forced into it. Frankie's aunt was a gem who did not deserve to be treated the way she was and I loved her so much. I also loved the family dynamic shown- it wasn't perfect but there were sweet moments.
My main problem with this book was Frankie. I don't feel like she grew as a character at all throughout the story. I almost feel like she wasn't a fully formed character; rather, she was just the embodiment of 'anger' or 'angst'. She is consistently rude to everyone around her, family and friends included, thinks people are assholes when they treat her in a similar fashion, storms off when called out on her behaviour and is just generally a frustrating character. I could've forgiven this if we got some further insight into her character, such as why she hit the boy at school. But these things remained hidden until the end and it left Frankie feeling like a very one-dimensional character to me.
I also feel like the story wrapped up too quickly. There's a lot of repetition throughout the book while they are searching and then at the end it's just over in a few pages? It was very sudden and not at all satisfying.
Frankie is an Aussie YA about a young, angry girl who (while suspended from school for hitting someone) finds out she has a half brother. Her brother goes missing pretty early in the story and it becomes a book about a girl searching for her new little brother at a time when she really should be searching for herself.
There were elements of this book that I enjoyed. I liked that it was Australian and that I could recognise Australian elements without them being forced into it. Frankie's aunt was a gem who did not deserve to be treated the way she was and I loved her so much. I also loved the family dynamic shown- it wasn't perfect but there were sweet moments.
My main problem with this book was Frankie. I don't feel like she grew as a character at all throughout the story. I almost feel like she wasn't a fully formed character; rather, she was just the embodiment of 'anger' or 'angst'. She is consistently rude to everyone around her, family and friends included, thinks people are assholes when they treat her in a similar fashion, storms off when called out on her behaviour and is just generally a frustrating character. I could've forgiven this if we got some further insight into her character, such as why she hit the boy at school. But these things remained hidden until the end and it left Frankie feeling like a very one-dimensional character to me.
I also feel like the story wrapped up too quickly. There's a lot of repetition throughout the book while they are searching and then at the end it's just over in a few pages? It was very sudden and not at all satisfying.